April 2015
APRIL CULTURAL MEETING Come and enjoy a different and unusual presentation by our own, and long time
member, Dr. Peter Emily. If you love animals, and even if you do not, this presentation will take you into a
different world. The "Exotic Animal Dentistry" power point presentation will take place on April 10 at 7:30 p.m.
in the Mt. Carmel Parrish Hall, 3549 Navajo Street. Denver.
There are more that 20,000 wild animals in about 800 shelters in the United States alone. This is not counting Zoo
animals. These animals are full of dental disease. The shelters are barely able to feed them. The Peter Emily
Foundation treats these shelter animals all over the world, including Italy. This slide presentation will show some of
the more interesting and sometimes funny cases and their treatments. This is a very fine "show and tell" that the
audience will love.
If you are interested in contributing refreshments at any cultural meeting, kindly contact our
hospitality chair Len Magliocchetti at 303-744-9824 or [email protected], grazie.
MARCH CULTURAL MEETING The March cultural event with OT DiFalco, an Italian singer,
brought us an enjoyable evening with lots of great Italian music classics that even had some
of us singing along. He played several requests from music that Dante members had
remembered from when they were living or visiting in Italy. We all enjoyed hearing about his
family’s background while he was living in Italy. OT performs at a variety of venues
throughout the Metro area. He will be performing at the Italian Festival at Belmar this year in
case you missed him or you enjoyed him and would like to see him again. We will provide
more details as we get them. Italian music always brings joy to the hearts of all.
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MARCH MOVIE NIGHT Friday, March 27 at 7:30 p.m., at MT. Carmel Parish Hall, 3549 Navajo Street. Denver,
the Society will show Vittorio DeSica's Ieri, oggi, domani (Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow). The film won the 1964
Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film and features Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni.
There will not be a showing in April but we will resume May 29 with Matrimonio all'italiana (Marriage Italian Style),
continuing therefore the tribute to two of the best Italian actors, Loren, Mastroianni and the reknown director DeSica.
LA PRIMA DOMENICA Please note that since Easter Sunday this year falls on April 5, La prima domenica Mass in
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April will actually be on the 12 (second Sunday) , at 9:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Churchl,
3549 Navajo Street, Denver. Please remember that the Dante Society is sponsoring the breakfast following the Mass
in the Parish Hall, so mark your calendars. Help will be needed before and after the Mass. If you would like to offer
your time, please contact our coordinator Nina Incampo at 303-423-4811, or [email protected]. Grazie.
SPAGHETTI DINNER - FUND RAISER- HELP NEEDED For the first time in its history, the Dante Society is hosting
a spaghetti dinner on Wednesday, April 22 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Mt. Carmel Parish Hall. Volunteers are
needed to help in a number of ways including ticket takers, hostesses, kitchen help and more. If you can give the
committee a few hours of your time on the 22nd, we'd really appreciate it.
The spaghetti dinner is a way for the Dante Society to raise money for its scholarship fund, which provides
funds to worthy college students who are studying the Italian culture and fostering its ideals in the United States.
The Fundraising Committee hopes you will support the dinner by either buying a ticket and/or helping out the night
of the dinner. If you are able to help, please call Susan Gurule at 303-524-9502 or email her at
[email protected]. Thank you. Please see enclosed flyer.
SCHOLARSHIP – Friday April 10 is the deadline for scholarship applications. Once they have all been
received, the Scholarship Committee will convene to evaluate the students on their academic or musical
qualifications, honors, extracurricular activities, proposed study program and so on. The Committee will
then decide on the number and amounts of the scholarships, Winning students will be presented with their
awards at the annual Scholarship Luncheon on Sunday May 3 at the Arvada Center. The registration
form for the luncheon is included with this issue of the Notiziario so plan now to attend this always
entertaining and rewarding event. And please consider donating to the Scholarship Fund so we are able
to continue to award students who are studying to learn about our Italian culture and music. Please
contact John Giardino, Scholarship Committee Chair, if you have questions – 303-378-9736 or
[email protected].
ITALIAN LANGUAGE The ten-week spring session of Italian language classes began during the
week of March 23, and will end on June 1. The ten-week summer session is planned to begin
the week of June 22, and on-line registration will begin in late May. For more information,
please contact the Education Chair Suzanne Fasing at [email protected] or call 303-810-9042.
SPRING 2015 CLASS DESCRIPTIONS
Beginner 1. Tuesdays 6:00 -7:30 pm, beginning March 24 (Philip). In this class students with little to no
knowledge of Italian will to communicate in simple everyday situations. Students will study the basic
building blocks of the Italian language, including the alphabet, rules of pronunciation, basic syntax, and
grammatical structures. Topics include subject pronouns, definite and indefinite articles, regular verbs in
the present tense, and noun-adjective agreement. Required Text: The Italian Project 1a.
Beginner 2. Tuesdays 7:30-9 pm, beginning March 24 (Philip). In this class students will build upon their
existing knowledge while incorporating new vocabulary and grammatical structures through conversation,
role plays, listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include irregular and modal verbs in the present
tense, articulated prepositions, and possessive adjectives. Required Text: The Italian Project 1a.
Beginner 3. Mondays 7:30-9 pm (Brunetti), beginning March 23 (no class on Memorial Day, May 25), OR
Thursdays 7:30- 9 pm, beginning March 26 (Brunetti). In this class, students will continue their studies of
basic grammatical structures while increasing their vocabulary through in-class readings, listening
activities, written assignments, and situational simulations. Topics include speaking about the past,
transitive vs. intransitive verbs, ordering in a restaurant, and the adverb “ci". Required Text: The Italian
Project 1a.
Intermediate 1. Thursdays 6:00-7:30 pm, beginning March 26 (Brunetti). In this class students will build
upon their prior studies through role plays, listening, reading and writing activities. Topics include the
imperfect, the past perfect, demonstrative adjectives, “volerci” and “metterci.” Required Text: The Italian
Project 1b.
Advanced 3. Wednesdays 6:00-7:30 pm, beginning March 25 (Brunetti). This class, which will be
predominantly in Italian, will introduce students to more advanced vocabulary and structures, including
the use of the present and past subjunctive. Students will continue to develop their reading, listening,
writing, and speaking abilities through in-class activities and weekly homework
assignments. Required Text: The Italian Project 2a.
MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL The deadline for renewals is the 31st of March. The Society has extended
a grace period until April 15. Members who choose not to renew will be deleted from the roster at that
time. Please check that the information on the card is correct and return the card with your membership
fee. We hope you will continue to support and enjoy the activities offered by the DAS. The 30th
anniversary celebration is coming up soon and we will keep you informed about the details.
If you have questions, kindly contact Rhonda at 720-596-4169 or [email protected].
BENVENUTI The Dante Society of Denver wishes to give a warm welcome to the following new
members: Luis Miguel Castro, Bruno Dispoto, Justin Elliott, Kathleen Fraites, Howard Gordon,
Katherine Green, Nancy Knowles, Gail Lopez, Ines McCall, Tanya McMurtry, Louis and Madeline
Mottola, Patricia Moyer, Rosemarie Murane, Ulises Sanchez, Scott Schaden, Eva Marie Schultz, Erin
Skahan, Celeste Thomen, Cathy Van Blercom, and Mary Waller.
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GETTING TO KNOW YOU Our member George Linn.
1. What region in Italy were your ancestors from. If you
do not have Italian ancestors, what is the ethnic
background of your family. Have you ever been there and
what was your experience?
On my father’s side of the family, we are Scots from Ayrshire
(County), Scotland, in the southwest corner. (Linn means a
brook in Gaelic.) These ancestors emigrated to America
before our Revolutionary War to avoid persecution by the
English (no love lost there). My mother’s ancestors emigrated
from Scotland to Ireland about the same time for the same reason and became Scotch-Irish. I have been to
Scotland several times and was surprised to learn that many of our family’s traditions are really Scottish ones. I
was treated like “one of the boys”!
2. When did your ancestors arrive in America, and where did they settle originally? Did they come
right to Colorado?
Upon arrival in America, my ancestors settled in southeastern Pennsylvania, where many of my relatives live
today. My parents met and married there. Our immediate family moved west, following Horace Greeley’s
advice (“Go west, young man”), to Denver before WWII, where I was born. I grew up not knowing my
grandparents, aunts, uncles or cousins. After WWII, we moved to Palo Alto, CA.
3. If you had to describe yourself in one word, what word would that be, and why?
“Curious” That’s probably what led me into science, geology.
4. Who was most influential to you growing up, and why?
My parents, of course, were probably most influential because they were very avid readers and very
interested in education. My father could read 10,000 words per minute and read 6 newspapers a day. My
mother read 3 books a week until well into her 90s. They assumed we children would all go on for PhDs.
Well, I fooled ‘em! Also, my college track coach was very influential. He was an outstanding, honorable
man, a Scot, and likewise pushed education.
5. Tell us a little about you, employment, family, interests and so on.
My first interest is music and I got my BA in that. I started a PhD in it but realized I didn’t have a lick of
talent, so changed to my 2nd love, geology, the exploration for ore deposits. I have 6 field-seasons in
Alaska, where I did my MS and PhD field work. The best job I ever had, though, was returning to Denver as
the senior exploration geologist for a major mining company. They gave me a 4-wheel drive Blazer and
said: “Go find a gold deposit!”. You’ll have to wait for the next installment to learn whether I did.
6. How would you most like to be remembered?
I would like to be remembered as a kind person.
7. What attracted you about joining the Dante Alighieri Society?
The Society could feed my curiosity about Italy: the language (I’ve studied it here for 5 years now, mostly
under Mallory – wish more of it stuck), culture, cuisine, people, history, art, architecture, geology, wines,
music , etc. And feed my curiosity well the Society has! Thank you!
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BOCCE LOVERS Have you put your team together yet? Please mark you calendars .... as the next
Dante Society Bocce Tournament has been scheduled for Saturday, June 13, 2015, at Mickey's Top
Sirloin. You have sufficient time to put together a team of 4. Remember that only the first 16 teams will
be accepted. For any questions, kindly contact Joe Adducci at 303-232-7949 or Gianfranco Marcantonio
at 303-494-3080.
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INTERESTED IN MORE MOVIES?
The members of the Dante Alighieri Society of
Denver have been invited to the Colorado premiere
of Love Among the Ruins (Amore tra le rovine) at the
Sie Film Center on Thursday, April 23rd, 7:30 p.m.
Following the film by new Italian director Massimo Ali
Mohammad, the Seattle producers, Richard Meyer
and Susan Harmon, will discuss shooting the film in
Ferrara, Italy and take questions from the audience.
Love Among the Ruins (Amore tra le rovine) is a spoof about the miraculous discovery and restoration of
a long lost Italian silent film. Beyond speculation by film historians, critics and a family member revealed
in the first “documentary” part of the film, Love Among the Ruins offers a complete silent film as if
restored from the 1920s and with a newly commissioned musical score. More than a parody, the film
celebrates the joy of discovering lost art, a rich tradition of filmmaking in Italy, and how a young filmmaker
with his first feature film recreates the artistry of silent film. The film is mostly in Italian with English
subtitles.
Tickets are now available on the Sie FilmCenter Box Office or online at denverfilm.org. They are $12 for
Denver Film Society members and $15 for General Admission. Proceeds benefit the Denver Film
Society and the Denver Silent Film Festival which begins on Friday, April 24th.
We hope you can join us for this very special film presentation for anyone who loves film, Italy, and the
opportunity to talk about filmmaking in an intimate setting. More at loveamongtheruinsmovie.com
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NOTIZIE DALL'ITALIA VeryBello.it: più di 1.000 eventi per Expo 2015.
Il Ministro dei Beni e delle Attività Culturali e del Turismo, Dario Franceschini, ha presentato il cartellone degli eventi culturali che si svolgeranno durante il periodo di Expo Milano 2015 Dalla Biennale d’Arte di Venezia ad Umbria Jazz, dai classici immortali del Teatro Greco di Siracusa, fino al festival degli artisti di strada di Ferrara, passando per il Giardino dei Tarocchi di Niki de Saint Phalle: VeryBello è un nuovo modo di viaggiare in Italia attraverso la nostra straordinaria offerta culturale. Una piattaforma digitale interattiva che, attraverso un linguaggio immediato e visivo, racconta l’Italia da un punto di vista inedito. Ad oggi, oltre 1.300 eventi rappresentano l’Italia da Nord a Sud, dalle grandi città ai piccoli borghi, da maggio ad ottobre 2015. Un numero destinato a crescere per un progetto che nasce appositamente per Expo, ma che ha l’obiettivo di guardare oltre. Grazie infatti al contributo delle istituzioni coinvolte da Ministero, Regioni e Comuni, è nata una rete aperta in grado di garantire continuità al progetto, anche al termine dell’Esposizione Universale. Festival, Cinema, Musica e Concerti, Teatro, Mostre, Danza, Feste Tradizionali, Itinerari Turistici, Libri, Bambini, Opera: dodici contenitori culturali, in costante aggiornamento, forniscono nel dettaglio le informazioni principali dell’evento e la sua geolocalizzazione, permettendo di condividere l’evento stesso sui social network. Uno strumento dinamico, efficace, per ora in italiano ma a breve disponibile in inglese, russo, cinese, spagnolo, portoghese, tedesco e francese, per promuovere l’Italia in Italia e nel mondo. Un viaggio nella bellezza italiana che, grazie agli eventi culturali fotografati, ne rivela ricchezza e unicità. Qualche numero? Dei 1.300 eventi in programma, fanno parte 300 mostre, oltre 200 eventi di musica e concerti, più di 250 eventi tra danza, teatro e opera. E ancora: circa 500 eventi raccolti tra iniziative per bambini, festival letterari, jazz e cinema, itinerari e feste tradizionali. Per maggiori informazioni: www.verybello.it . (ItalPlanet News) Parole ritrovate: Diritto
Ha a che fare con la giustizia, di cui è il parente più stretto: ciò che è derectum, (in latino “dritto”) è anche giusto, sensato, sacrosanto. Un concetto
da non dimenticare mai, soprattutto ora che qualcuno lo confonde con
quello di “privilegio” o cerca di negarlo in nome delle “priorità”. Sui diritti,
insomma, bisognerebbe concentrarsi maggiormente quando le cose vanno
storte.
(a cura di Alessandro Masi, dal supplemento Sette del Corriere della Sera)
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IMPORTANT NEWS FROM ROME AND THE VATICAN The Dante Society of Denver is proud to
announce that, thanks to the endless efforts of Secretary General of the Dante, Dr. Alessandro Masi,
Dante members throughout the world will continue to enjoy certain privileges when visiting the Vatican
Museums. The agreement between the Dante and the Vatican is valid now through the 31st of December
2015. This allows us to visit the museums at a lower price and get in front of the long lines simply by
presenting the Dante Society membership card. The cost to visit the Museums is 16 euros per person,
and 1 euro if you decide to purchase the Art and Faith DVD on the Treasures of the Vatican. Any member
planning a trip to Italy and a visit to the Vatican Museums in Rome between now and the end of year 2015
should make sure to possess a Dante Alighieri Society membership card. It may be obtained by
contacting Rhonda Hopkins at 720-596-4169. [email protected] or Gianfranco Marcantonio at 303494-3080 [email protected]
Also renewed is the convention between the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dante Society with the
intent of strengthening the reciprocal collaboration in promoting and diffusing the Italian culture and language
in foreign countries
WEBSITES TO VISIT IF INTERESTED IN ITALIAN CULTURE
Societa' Dante Alighieri di Roma - Sede Centrale, http://www.dantealighieri-roma.it
Dante Alighieri Society of Denver, Colorado - http://www.dantealighieriofdenver.org
DAS of Denver in Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/Dante-Alighieri-SocietyofDenver/153670041417079
News from Italy - http://video.sky.it/news/diretta
Italian art - http://www.arte.it/
Italy news in English - http://www.thelocal.it/
Travel and Events - http://www.i-italy.org/
The World of Dante - The study and teaching of the Divine Comedy, http://www.worldofdante.org
Events in Colorado's Italian-American community - http://www.italianamericanheritage.com/index.html
Web site for TG5 (Mediaset) Notizie dall'Italia - http://www.mediasetitalia.com/nazioni/colorado.shtml
US Citizenship - http://www.uscitizenship.info/italian-american-history-and-culture/
Contemporary art and culture - (Arte e cultura contemporanea), www.artwireless.it.
First Web TV on Italian language and culture - www.alma.tv
Italian American Museum - http://www.ItalianAmericanMuseum.org.
2015 Calendar
Cultural Meetings
April 10
May 15
June 12
September 11
October 16
November 13
Events
Movie Night - March 27
Prima domenica - April 12
Spaghetti Dinner - April 22
Scholarship Banquet - May 3
Bocce - June 13
Movie Night - June 19
Annual Picnic - July 19
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Classes
Spring - Began March 23
Summer - Begin June 22
Th e Dan te Alig h ie ri So c ie ty
o f De n v e r
Pro udly Anno unc e s Its Th irtie th Annual
Sc h o lars h ip Awards Pre s e ntatio n
To Be He ld
Su n d ay May 3, 2015
At
Th e Arvada Ce nte r fo r th e Pe rfo rm ing Arts
6901 Wads wo rth Bo ule vard
Arvada, Co lo rado 80003
Th e Fe s tivitie s will b e g in at No o n with Pe rfo rm anc e s fro m o ur
Mus ic Sc h o lars h ip Re c ipie nts .
Lunc h e o n Buffe t fo llo ws th e Pe rfo rm anc e s .
Pre s e ntatio n o f Sc h o lars h ip Awards Co m ple te s th e Ce le b ratio n.
Yo u and Yo ur Gue s ts are Co rdially Invite d to Partic ipate in th is
Mo s t Im po rtant Func tio n o f th e Dante Alig h ie ri So c ie ty.
Detach here
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Scholarship Luncheon Reservations
Name____________________________________________ Phone/Email____________________________
____Luncheons at $30.00 per person______________
____Sponsorship; $________ tax deductible contribution to Scholarship Fund
____I will not be able to attend but am enclosing my tax deductible contribution to the Scholarship Fund
Please make checks payable to the Dante Alighieri Society and return along with this reservation form before
Tuesday April 29, 2015 to:
Dante Alighieri Society
c/o Carol Marsala
1696 Garland St.
Lakewood, CO 80215
For further information please contact John Giardino at 303-378-9736(C)